The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for analyzing a flowable product. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for performing evaluations of product quality using noninvasive techniques.
The use of ultrasonic imaging techniques in the analysis of solid and liquid products is well-known. Ultrasonic waves generated by a transducer are directed into the target product and a receiver is used to receive the ultrasonic waves that are reflected by or transmitted through the target product. The wave pattern received by the receiver can then be analyzed for the purpose of discerning a number of different characteristics of the target product. For example, ultrasonic imaging techniques can be used for the purpose of identifying voids or other physical flaws in solid products. In addition, ultrasonic imaging can be used to detect the presence of particulate matter and air bubbles in liquids. However, the analysis of ultrasound images can be both cumbersome and subjective, thereby resulting in false positive and false negative analyses. In addition, the analysis of ultrasound images can be time-consuming, so thereby significantly increasing the costs associated with this process. For these reasons, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for performing ultrasound evaluations of products that provide an objective, quick, and reproducible analysis of the flowable product.